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Your connection to industry & member news | July 30, 2026
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SCPA Foundation internship prepares Clemson student for journalism career Editor's Note: As the summer comes to a close, so does the SCPA Foundation's internship program. Let's hear from Nathan Inman of Clemson, who spent his summer at The (Seneca) Journal. Nathan is associate editor for Clemson's newspaper, The Tiger.
By Nathan Inman, Clemson University Senior
My experience with The Journal has been nothing short of spectacular throughout this summer. Stepping into a newsroom with a sports background and virtually no news experience, I was nervous and unsure of what to expect. Admittedly, my expectations were low — how could a sports reporter enjoy covering “boring” local news?
Over the next several weeks, I came to realize how wrong I had been in my thoughts towards covering news stories. Sure, there were some slower days where it seemed like nothing was happening, but those were few and far between.
What I eventually learned was that there are meaningful and impactful stories, big and small, as long as you are willing to look for them. Much of what I covered I would have likely never known about had I not been in the newsroom this summer.
A group of veterans celebrating 50 years of friendship, a local nonprofit helping residents gain financial independence and, most recently, a local resident battling Parkinson’s Disease tackling a 95-mile kayaking journey — all amazing and inspiring stories I would have otherwise never known about. And while I didn’t realize it at the time, I also covered what would be longtime-senator Lindsey Graham’s final campaign stop in his hometown of Seneca.
From fascinating local stories to local and state politics, I had the opportunity to write about so many amazing topics. I am so grateful to the SCPA Foundation for this opportunity, and to The Journal for having me for this eight-week internship — and three additional weeks after my internship officially ended!
Invest in the future of our industry
How to apply
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Order press IDs for your sports journalistsIt's almost time for the return of Friday night lights which means it's also time to order press IDs for your sports reporters, photographers and stringers.
Cards with a clip are $7 each. A card with imprinted "PRESS" lanyard is $11.
Please do not wait until the last minute to order IDs. While we process orders quickly and ship USPS Priority Mail, it can still take a few days to arrive.
All orders must come from SCPA member newspaper and online news publication editors. Freelancers must contact their editor to order a card.
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Aug. 17 is ad deadline for 2026-2027 S.C. Media Directory If you'd like to place an ad in the newest edition of the S.C. Media Directory, now is the time to reserve your space.
Rates start at $150 for a half page ad and $250 for a full page ad.
Aug. 17 is the final day to reserve space in the guide.
This important reference tool includes detailed information on the state's newspapers, online news publications and other media outlets.
Ads are very affordable and can help promote your message to agencies, legislators, business leaders, fellow SCPA members and press associations across the Southeast.
Publishers will receive Directory listing proofs next month.
Please contact Maya to place your ad. The 2026-2027 edition will come out in early September.
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"Other research established that places without local papers have more uninformed and unengaged voters, with many unable to name their mayors and other elected leaders.
It was also thought that losing newspapers increased polarization by pushing people to national outlets that emphasize partisan battles.
Li and Wagner draw an even clearer picture of what’s happening to our news diets and how the local journalism crisis is degrading mutual understanding and civic discourse.
To me the bottom line is that local newspaper closures aren’t just pushing people toward national sources. They’re also pushing them, and the nation, off a cliff."
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Corey Friedman named Lexington County Chronicle’s new editor
Corey Friedman has been named editor of the Lexington County Chronicle and newsletter editor of a sister publication, The Sumter Item, Group Publisher Vince Johnson announced.
Friedman previously served as editor of The Wilson Times in eastern North Carolina and executive editor of parent company Restoration NewsMedia. He succeeds Bryn Eddy, who has departed the Chronicle after three years at the newspaper’s helm.
“Lexington County is a special place, and I’m committed to upholding the Chronicle’s proud tradition of telling this community’s stories in print and online,” Friedman said.
While working at The Wilson Times, Friedman received numerous state and national awards for editorial writing, including the News Leaders Association’s Burl Osborne Award for Editorial Leadership in 2019 and the National Headliner Awards’ first-place medallion for editorial writing by an individual or team in 2022.
Friedman served on the North Carolina Press Association Board of Directors from 2016-19 and chaired the NCPA’s Legislative Committee from 2024-25.
From Lexington County Chronicle | Read more
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By Jackson Castellano,
The Post and Courier
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| Castellano: I’m new to the Clemson beat, but we can learn more about the Tigers together
My first day with The Post and Courier was July 20, on the eve of the 56th anniversary of the Tiger paw.
It’s safe to say I’m a bit late to the party.
I didn’t grow up a college sports fan. I’ve been passionate about sports since I was a child, but the college ranks weren’t something I connected with because neither of my parents went to or rooted for a “big” school. That changed when my older sister, Noel, enrolled at Florida State in 2016, just after Clemson had won its second of three football national championships.
Two years later, I was with Noel in our living room watching the Tigers lift their second trophy in three seasons while she visited home on winter break. In my limited experience as a college sports fan to that point, Clemson stood out to me as a powerhouse. A lot has changed for Clemson and college sports as a whole since 2018, but I think most would agree the teams at the forefront of a sport when you’re young are the ones that stick with you forever.
Clemson was one of those teams, so it feels like a full-circle moment to be covering the Tigers as they, like most programs around the country, work to establish their new place in the context of a collegiate landscape that looks much different from the late-2010s era in which Clemson football was a perennial contender. Read more
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Gazette columnist Paul Hyde wins 3 awards in national contest
Editor's Note: SCPA members may republish S.C. Daily Gazette content online or in print under Creative Commons license.
South Carolina Daily Gazette columnist Paul Hyde won three awards in the National Society of Newspaper Columnists’ 2026 contest.
His first-, second- and third-place awards represent the most of any single writer among winners announced Thursday evening, who represented more than 80 publications.
His awards spanned three of the contest’s six categories for commentary published in 2025. In two categories, general and humor, the 49-year-old nonprofit separately awarded winners for print and online outlets.
Hyde’s top prize, won for crisis commentary, was for the following columns:
By Seanna Adcox, S.C. Daily Gazette | Read more
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After backlash over $2.4 million tab, agency now says it won’t charge man for records
The S.C. Department of Environmental Services, which told a citizen that it would cost him $2.4 million to obtain public records, has now abandoned the plan and will give him the records about school pollution at no cost.
An email obtained by The State newspaper said that due to confusion about the Freedom of Information Act request, the agency has decided not to charge the Darlington County resident for providing records of soil contamination at Black Creek Elementary School.
The Charleston newspaper, the Post and Courier, reported Saturday in an editorial critical of the agency that the department had backed off the plan and will give the man the records. The State newspaper received a copy of an email provided to Charleston’s editorial staff.
Department of Environmental Services spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment from The State, after facing substantial criticism this past week over the proposed $2.4 million records charge.
Open records advocates and people trying to learn more about forever chemical pollution at the school blasted the agency for trying to charge high prices for records that by law should be publicly available.
By Sammy Fretwell, The State | Read more
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Town attorney’s proposed FOI policy not consistent with SC law
BLYTHEWOOD — Public records reveal that a ‘missing’ $20,000 check drawn on the Town’s hospitality tax fund was jointly signed by former Interim Town Administrator Ed Driggers and Mayor Sloan Griffin in contradiction of Driggers’ statement that he “was not involved in this at all.”
When The Voice filed an FOI request for documents concerning the $20,000 check, The Town charged the newspaper $500 to receive a response, essentially impeding the newspaper from moving forward with the request. Now Balthazor wants council to adopt that same fee standard and more for all the Town’s FOI requests during the Monday, July 27 council meeting.
A review by The Voice found several provisions in Balthazor’s proposed FOI policy that differ from language contained in South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act, including Balthazor’s addition of attorney and outside vendor fees, eliminating fee waivers, and adding requirements for requesters to sign formal promises and agreements before records are released.
The proposal comes after months of controversy surrounding The Voice’s requests for records related to the disappearance of a $20,000 hospitality tax payment intended for Blythewood’s 2025 Juneteenth celebration.
By Barbara Ball, The Voice of Blythewood | Read more
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Editorial: SC lawmakers have never gotten the earmark debate right. Now they can.
The reasonable resolution to our Legislature’s stalemate over whether to dole out unwise tax cuts or give unvetted millions to local governments and nonprofits was to remove both items from the overdue state budget. But neither is something legislators are inclined to leave on the table.
So instead, House and Senate negotiators dreamed up this bizarre compromise last week, by which the House agrees to a third of the Senate’s property tax break for senior citizens and the negotiators create a super conference committee to decide in the fall which earmarks to fund. This was necessary, we are told, because House members don’t know enough about the Senate earmarks and senators don’t know enough about House earmarks.
Silly us: We thought reaching compromises between the House and Senate budget proposals was the job of the entire budget conference committee, but whatever. The good thing about Wednesday’s agreement is that legislators resolved most of their differences and are willing to move forward with a budget for the fiscal year that started July 1. Or at least the negotiators are; the full House and Senate still have to agree.
The less obvious good thing is that this arrangement gives our legislators another opportunity to do something they've never done before: Come clean on their earmarks. That is, this new committee has an opportunity to do its work in public.
From The Post and Courier | Read more
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Citizen expresses concern over lack of requested documents
Great Falls resident Cindy Johnson spoke before Town Council at their July meeting concerning a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request that she has made regarding ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act of 2022) funds utilized by the Town. The answer she received was not encouraging and may have highlighted an issue with some information the Town may no longer have in its possession.
Johnson told Town Council she has a pending FOIA request regarding ARPA funds.
“ARPA funding became available beginning in March of 2021. The obligation deadline (to use the funds) was December 2024 and the deadline for extending this obligation is Dec. 31st of this year.
“It has been my habit over several years to attend as many council meetings as I can, so I can tell you that the Town of Great Falls benefited greatly from that ARPA program — we were really able to take advantage of that federal funding opportunity.
“After the 2024 deadline, I made a request on February 17, 2025 for all ARPA documentation. Not long after that (then-Town Clerk Jessica Eubanks) resigned before she had a chance to fulfill my request.
“I provided the next clerk (Town Clerk Madison Wright) with a copy of the request that I had presented to Town Clerk Jessica Eubanks; she also parted ways with the town and my request was not fulfilled,” Johnson pointed out. She had other things taking place in her life, and Johnson did not follow up on her request until May of this year.
“For information over 24 months old, FOIA guidelines require a response within 20 business days, and require that your requested information be provided within 35 calendar days.
“Both of these deadlines have passed without any response, making the Town non-compliant with statutory FOIA guidelines,” Johnson charged.
By Brian Garner, The News & Reporter | Read more
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Help build support for the Stealth Bot Prohibition ActThe News/Media Alliance commends Representatives Laurel Lee, Valerie Foushee, and Gus Bilirakis for introducing the Stealth Bot Prohibition Act last week, which would require bot identification and protection against malicious actors, the first step in establishing a functioning marketplace for news content. NMA expects Senate introduction soon. Here are ways you can help:
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New report reveals global evidence of independent journalism’s economic and security value
The report, entitled "The Value of Journalism: Global evidence on why media matters to economics, national security and crises," shares data that underscores benefits to societies, including economic growth, strengthened national security, and greater resilience against disinformation and crises.
Launched today during the Global Media Forum in Bonn, Germany, The Value of Journalism is published at a moment when the conditions for independent journalism are more precarious than at any point in recent history: public funding for media is declining, social media platforms and AI threaten media revenue streams, and drastic cuts to international aid and media development budgets have taken a severe toll. As a consequence, audiences worldwide are facing shrinking access to trusted sources of independent journalism and the reliable information they provide. The findings provide a strong evidence base for renewed public and international investment in independent journalism as a public good.
Authored by Professor Mel Bunce and Dr. Beth Pearson of City St George’s, University of London, the report synthesizes the latest academic research into the value of journalism to explain its critical importance to economies, national security, and response to crises. It highlights the stakes for societies when journalism declines and disappears.
From UNESCO | Read more
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AP updates newsroom standards for artificial intelligence
AP recently released updated newsroom standards governing the use of artificial intelligence, reinforcing that AI can assist journalists with specific tasks. Editorial judgment, verification and accountability remain the responsibility of AP journalists.
The updated guidance further expands and defines how some AI tools may be used across the AP newsroom while adding new standards for reporting on AI-generated and manipulated content. It also introduces guidance for the use of AI coding assistants in software development.
From AP | Read more
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Sept. 1 is deadline to apply for IRE's Chauncey Bailey Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship
Named in honor of the late Chauncey Bailey, this investigative reporting fellowship is intended to prepare and support a journalist of color for a solid career in investigative reporting. The yearlong program provides assistance to attend an IRE Data Journalism Bootcamp, the NICAR Conference, and the IRE Conference.
As part of the program, fellows also work on an investigative reporting project benefiting their communities, while receiving IRE data services, mentorship, and support. The deadline to apply is Sept. 1.
IRE also offers numerous conference fellowships and scholarships each year. Assistance typically includes a one-year IRE membership/renewal and the program registration fee. Applications for fellowships to attend AccessFest26 are currently open! Sept. 13 is the deadline to apply.
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Sponsorship establishes new Benjamin Franklin Prize recognizing impartial, objective, and fair student news reporting
The Center for Integrity in News Reporting (CFINR) recently announced that Mutual Insurance Company has awarded a three-year, $100,000 grant to establish the Benjamin Franklin Prize for Student News Reporting, a new national award recognizing outstanding examples of impartial, objective, and fair news reporting produced by college student journalists.
The new award becomes the seventh category in CFINR's nationally recognized Benjamin Franklin Prizes for Impartial, Objective, and Fair News Reporting. Beginning in 2027, the prize will honor exemplary work produced by student reporters at college newspapers, digital news organizations, and student-operated radio and television stations across the United States.
The grant will provide a $25,000 first place annual prize over the next three years for the student winner whose news reporting is recognized as the best example of impartial and objective news reporting.
"This new award extends our mission to the next generation of news reporters," said Walter Hussman Jr., founder and chairman of the Center for Integrity in News Reporting. "By recognizing student journalists who demonstrate fairness, accuracy, and objectivity in their reporting, we hope to encourage the professional values that help build public trust in news reporting."
The new student reporting prize complements CFINR's growing partnership with 28 journalism schools across the country. Through that initiative, winners of the Benjamin Franklin Prizes visit journalism schools to discuss how impartial, objective, and fair reporting strengthens credibility and public confidence. Student winners will now have the opportunity to share those same experiences with their peers, helping inspire future generations of journalists.
From CFINR | Read more
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 | By John Foust,
Advertising Trainer
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| Understanding the stages of competence
We all discuss information with other people, whether it’s with an advertising client, a prospect or a coworker. And because people have different levels of understanding, it’s easier to get in step with some than with others.
According to the textbook “Management of Training Programs, which was researched at New York University, there are four stages of competence. It’s easy to visualize them as four steps on a staircase. Perhaps this personal story will help in visualizing them.
I remember attending an exhibition for small sailboats at a nearby lake. One boat, which was about the size of a Sunfish, was pulled up on the shore. Although I was completely clueless about the principles of sailing, I jumped aboard and pushed off. Stupidly thinking it was possible to learn that particular skill on the fly, I fumbled with the lines on the deck and sent the boat into a furious spin. A couple of people, who noticed the boat bouncing up and down like a cork, swam out, took control and guided the boat back to shore. A little later, they took me and a few others on a short sail on another boat – a Lightning – which was considerably larger. Along the way, they explained the basics of sailing. Read more
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